Homestyle Pan Sauces

Capture layer upon layer of flavor in your pan sauces as accomplished chef and author Martha Holmberg dishes her strategies and secrets.

You’ll learn to balance flavors, build textures and create consistency in each sauce with Martha’s detailed instruction and time-saving tips. She demonstrates sautéing and reduction techniques applicable to a wide variety of recipes, as well as how to add dimension to each pan sauce by cutting, cooking and caramelizing an array of aromatics. Your dinner guests will be impressed by your mastery of mouthwatering gravy and jus. And as a bonus, you’ll go for a walk on the sweet side as Martha shows you how to make a delicious caramel sauce.

Lesson plan

Lesson 1. Meet Martha Holmberg & Get Started

Lesson 2. Aromatics

Learn the right - and wrong - way to sauté garlic before making multiple reductions and adding different layers of aromatics.

15:13

Lesson 3. Chicken With Meyer Lemon & Caper Sauce

Create a zesty lemon and caper sauce perfect for coating chicken.

38:43

Lesson 4. Reduction Sauces

Learn how to use aromatics to enliven your sauces. Then dress a pasta with a light, lemony cream sauce.

38:02

Lesson 5. Gravy

Impress your friends and family with homemade gravy. Martha shows you how to separate the fat, make a roux, add broth and smooth out the texture.

14:48

Lesson 6. Jus

Learn to roast with jus in mind and deglaze with white wine as Martha guides you through the basis for all jus.

20:51

Lesson 7. Bonus: Salted Caramel Sauce

Satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth by learning the science behind caramelization and then creating this sweet sauce.

"What a wealth of sauce knowledge! I have tried to make a wine sauce to no avail but now .... I am looking forward to creating delicious sauces! Martha explained the theory and the camera captured what one was looking for before going to the next step, taking away the mystery of sauce making. A good sauce takes an ordinary meal to the next level. Fabulous job Martha and Craftsy!" - SHAR61Marion, MA

Recently Enrolled

Lesson 1. Meet Martha Holmberg & Get Started

Lesson 2. Aromatics

Learn the right - and wrong - way to sauté garlic before making multiple reductions and adding different layers of aromatics.

15:13

Lesson 3. Chicken With Meyer Lemon & Caper Sauce

Create a zesty lemon and caper sauce perfect for coating chicken.

38:43

Lesson 4. Reduction Sauces

Learn how to use aromatics to enliven your sauces. Then dress a pasta with a light, lemony cream sauce.

38:02

Lesson 5. Gravy

Impress your friends and family with homemade gravy. Martha shows you how to separate the fat, make a roux, add broth and smooth out the texture.

14:48

Lesson 6. Jus

Learn to roast with jus in mind and deglaze with white wine as Martha guides you through the basis for all jus.

20:51

Lesson 7. Bonus: Salted Caramel Sauce

Satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth by learning the science behind caramelization and then creating this sweet sauce.

The instructor

Martha Holmberg, Instructor of Homestyle Pan Sauces

Cookbook author and editor Martha Holmberg found her calling as a cook in Denver, Colorado. She spent three years in Paris where she received the Grand Diplôme from Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne. Martha has been an editor and author of many cookbooks and magazines over the years, including editor-in-chief of Fine Cooking magazine for 11 years. Most recently, her book Modern Sauces was nominated for both a James Beard award and an IACP award. She currently resides in Portland, Oregon, and travels the country sharing her passion for both cooking and writing.

Ratings & reviews

Class rating

(20 reviews)

If You Want To Make A Great Sauce...

by Ladyv on March 20, 2015

Take this class. It's wonderful. I'm learning a lot and enjoying the process.

Take this class. It's wonderful. I'm learning a lot and enjoying the process.

Pan Sauce Made Easy

by Tazdoc on March 14, 2015

Good tips!!

Good tips!!

Excellent

by helen.ser6488652 on February 15, 2015

I finally know how to make gravy.Yahoooo.......I am loving this class.

I finally know how to make gravy.Yahoooo.......I am loving this class.

Martha's classes

by fearless-baker@flash.net on January 31, 2015

Martha is the best cooking instructor on the site. More classes from her.

Martha is the best cooking instructor on the site. More classes from her.